London County Council - Powers and Duties

Powers and Duties

The LCC inherited the powers of its predecessor the MBW, but also had wider authority over matters such as education, city planning and council housing. It took over the functions of the London School Board in 1903, and Dr C W Kimmins was appointed chief inspector of the education department in 1904.

From 1899 the Council progressively acquired and operated the tramways in the county, which it electrified from 1903. By 1933, when the LCC Tramways were taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board, it was the largest tram operator in the United Kingdom, with more than 167 miles (269 km) of route and over 1,700 tramcars.

By 1939 the council had the following powers and duties:

Category	Powers and duties	Notes
Public Assistance	Adoption of children Welfare of blind persons Assistance with formation of building societies and co-operatives Assistance with emigration Domicilary and institutional relef Casual wards Training centres Provision of smallholdings Classes and relief works for the unemployed Appointment of old age pension committee	Many of these powers were acquired in 1930 when the Local Government Act 1929 abolished the Metropolitan Asylums Board and the poor law boards of guardians.
Health Services, Housing and Sanitation	By-laws and regulations† Prevention of spread of animal diseases† District medical service Main drainage Hospitals and ambulances Large housing schemes (inside and outside the county)† Redevelopment† School medical service Care of "mentally defective" and "mentally disordered" Midwives Registration and inspection of nursing homes† Open spaces† Overcrowding survey Prevention of river pollution Residential treatment of tuberculosis Clearance of unhealthy areas† Treatment of venereal disease†	Medical and ambulance services passed to the National Health Service in 1948.
Regulation and Licensing	Licensing of boxing matches Building regulation Dangerous and neglected structures† By-laws for good rule and government† Storage, registration and inspection of celluloid† Licensing of cinemas and theatres (other than those under the Lord Chamberlain) Testing of gas and electricity meters† Registration of employment agencies† Safeguarding of children and young people in employment† Registration and inspection of explosives† Inspection of fertilsers and foodstuffs† Registration of land charges† Registration and inspection of massage establishments† Music and dancing licences Licensing and inspection of petroleum† Licensing of racecourses Clearance of unhealthy areas† Treatment of venereal disease† Shop hours and closing† Prevention of smoke nuisance† Registration of theatrical employers† Town planning† Registration of war and blind charities† Weights and measures† Protection of wild birds
Protective Services	Supervision of adoption Provision of ambulances (street accidents)† Protection of children† Costs of Central Criminal Court and quarter sessions London Fire Brigade Fire regulations Coroners and inquests† Remand homes Thames flood prevention
Education and Museums	Protection of ancient monuments† Elementary schools Special schools Nursery schools Secondary schools Technical and art schools Training colleges Scholarships Grants to educational institutions Fleet Street Museum Geffrye Museum Horniman Museum	The council received powers to provide technical education in 1892. On the abolition of the London School Board the LCC became the local education authority with responsibility for elementary and secondary schools on 1 May 1904.
Transport	Provision of aerodromes† Bridges† Maintenance of Thames Embankment River Ferries Motor vehicle registration Driver licensing Street improvements† Street naming and numbering Subways† Tunnels	Until 1933 the council provided a network of tramway services in the county. This passed to the London Passenger Transport Board.

† Denotes a power administered by the City of London Corporation within the City.

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